Self clearing power module

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the present disclosure involve a power module, which may include an inverter circuit employing semiconductor switch dies. In the presence of a failure of a die, which may include an arc from a short, a sensor produces a signal responsive to the failure. The signal initiates an indirect fuse, such as a pyrotechnic element, that opens conductors associated with the die. For example, the die or a related die may be wire bonded to terminals of the module. The indirect element may therefore open the bonds to the terminals to isolate the failed die and/or related dies.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/373,221, filed Aug. 10, 2016,entitled “SELF CLEARING POWER MODULE,” which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to electrical power conversionsystems, and more specifically to identifying a failure, such as shortedsemiconductor switch die, and clearing the failure by severingconductors associated with the failed die using an indirect fuse.

BACKGROUND

Power conversion modules are used in numerous endeavors and generallyinvolve converting alternating current to direct current (AC to DC),converting DC to AC, and may involve DC to DC conversions. An inverteris a particular type of power conversion device that is involved inconverting DC energy from a battery or other power source to AC energyused by an electric motor. In such inverters and power conversionmodules generally, high power semiconductor switches are used that oftenhave a relatively shorter lifetime than other related components, andfailure of such components can disable related systems, as well asdamage related systems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example power module including anindirect fuse element positioned to disconnect a failed die, in oneexample embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a first example three phase inverter circuit that may bedeployed in a power module, the inverter circuit including indirect fuseelements to disconnect one or more switch positions in the event of aswitch or other failure, in one example embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a second example three phase inverter circuit that may bedeployed in a power module, the inverter circuit including indirect fuseelements to disconnect one or more switch positions in the event of afailure, in one example embodiment.

FIG. 4A is an example of a power module including several switch diesimplementing an inverter, the diagram illustrating an arc from one ofthe dies and initiation of a pyrotechnic indirect fuse element todisconnect the power module from a DC bus bar, in one exampleembodiment.

FIG. 4B is the example of the power module of FIG. 4A, illustrating theresult of a blast from the pyrotechnic indirect fuse element with theblast severing bond wires connecting the circuit realized in the powermodule from terminals connecting the circuit to the DC bus, in oneexample embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a power module with aphotovoltaic cell directly initiating an indirect fuse positioned underbond wires between a die and a device such as a terminal, in one exampleembodiment;

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a discrete transistor switch package including anintegrated indirect fuse element, sensor and control circuitry forinitiating the indirect fuse in the presence of a die failure, in oneexample embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating one possible method of initiatingan indirect fuse based on a sensed die failure.

FIG. 8 is an example computing system that may implement variouscontrols and methods of the presently disclosed technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the present disclosure involve a power module where faileddies and portions of the power module may be isolated from other partsof the power module through an indirect fusing element. In one specificexample, an indirect fusing element, in the form of a pyrotechnicelement, is positioned proximate bond wires, bond ribbons, or otherconnectors, interconnecting switch dies, and interconnecting switch dieswith a DC bus or AC bus. The power module includes one more sensorsthat, in the presence of an arc flash, pressure wave, audible signal,and/or other consequence of a failed switch die, cause the pyrotechnicelement to fire and sever the conductor or conductors to isolate thefailed switch die, or a discrete portion of the power module associatedwith the failed switch die, from other parts of the power module orother parts of the inverter, as the case may be.

Various aspects of the present disclosure are discussed primarily withrespect to an inverter power module. However, the indirect fusingarrangement and related control and sensing arrangements discussedherein may be employed in various possible power converters including,but not limited to, a DC-to-AC converter (e.g., inverter), an AC-to-DCconverter, and a DC-to-DC converter, as well as any applicationinvolving a failed die or other semiconductor components that presentsuch a failure in the form of an arc or other sensible event, and whereisolating the die or related circuit elements is advantageous.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a power module 100 with onepossible arrangement of components involved in detecting a failure of adie, which may present such a failure in the form of an arc, and thenisolating the failed die from other portions of the power module throughinitiating an indirect fusing. Modern power modules may realize anynumber of possible power circuit configurations using interconnectedswitches to provide the desired conversion. In the example of inverters,switches may be interconnected to provide a half bridge, full bridge,H-bridge and other inverter circuit topologies. In any such topology,the switches may be transistors, thyristors, or the like. Examples oftransistor switches include, for example, silicon-based transistors,wide-bandgap (WBG) transistors (e.g., those transistors employingsilicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), and the like), or othertransistors suitable for power-switching purposes. Particular types oftransistors or thyristors that may be employed as the switches include,but are not limited to, metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effecttransistors (MOSFETs), insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs),junction (gate) field-effect transistors (JFETs), integratedgate-commutated thyristors (IGCTs), high-electron-mobility transistors(HEMTs) (also known as modulation-doped field-effect transistors(MODFETs) or heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs)),metal-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MESFETs), bipolar junctiontransistors (BJTs), ballistic connection transistors (BCTs), gateturn-off thyristors (GTOs), and so forth, either N-type or P-type.Moreover, such transistors or thyristors may be fabricated using, forexample, homoepitaxial Si, homoepitaxial SiC, homoepitaxial GaN,homoepitaxial gallium arsenide (GaAs), heteroepitaxial GaN-on-Si,heteroepitaxial GaN-on-SiC, or any other similar crystalline overlayeron a crystalline substrate combination. Also, such a transistor may ormay not include body diodes, or be provided with external“anti-parallel” or “flyback” diodes to provide overcurrent protection tothe device. The diodes may, for example, be of a P-N, junction barrierSchottky (JBS), Schottky-barrier diode (SBD), or other construction, andmay include one or more materials, such as Si, SiC, GaN, GaN-on-Si,GaAs, or others.

The switches may be realized as dies 102, with the circuit topologiescreated through interconnecting the dies with wire bonds 104 between thedies as well as between the DC rail or AC rail as the case may be. Forpurposes of clarity and recognizing that aspects of the presentdisclosure are useful across numerous possible circuit topologies anddie layouts, the power module of FIG. 1 illustrates only a first die102A and a second die 102B interconnected by a first set of wire bonds104A. FIG. 1 further illustrates the first die interconnected with adevice 106 by a second set of wire bonds 104B. The wire bonds may be adiscrete, single wire bond, more than one wire bond, a bond ribbon, orthe like. The device may be another die, a terminal to an AC rail, aterminal to a DC rail or other component that the die may be connectedwith to form the desired circuit.

In this example, each of the switches is fabricated on a separate baredie. The dies of each switch position 102 may then be mounted (e.g., byway of soldering, sintering, and/or so on) to a substrate that may beelectrically isolated from the substrates of the remaining switchpositions 102 of the power module. However, other ways of organizing thedies among different substrates are also possible. The substrates maybe, for example, direct bond aluminum (DBA) substrates, direct bondcopper (DBC) substrates, or active-metal brazing (AMB) substrates, insome examples. The substrates may be made of aluminum oxide, aluminumoxide doped with zirconium or another material, aluminum nitride,silicon nitride, or another ceramic material. Other types of substratesmay be suitable for the embodiments described herein as well.

To detect a die failure, one or more sensors 108 are positioned withinthe power module to detect the die failure. In many cases, a die failuremay be accompanied by an arc or flash, which may further be accompaniedby sound, heat, pressure, and the like. Accordingly, the sensor 108 maybe any such sensor capable of detecting an arc, sound, heat, pressure orthe like. Further, more than one such sensor may be employed, andsensors may further be employed to detect combinations of such failureeffects.

In the specific case of arc detection, the sensor 108 may be, but is notlimited to, a photo-emissive Cell, a photo-conductive-cell, aphoto-voltaic cell, a photo-junction device, a light-dependent resistor,a phototransistor, or other. The arc signature detector can detect oneor more spectrums of visible, ultraviolet, or infrared light, or otherspectrums. The light-sensing circuit(s) and/or control circuits may beintegrated into the same semiconductor substrate as the transistor(s).In some embodiments, the power module is enclosed or the dies areotherwise enclosed in a housing of some form. Accordingly, in suchembodiments, there is no light normally within the power module. In suchan embodiment, the presence of any light or flash, while the circuit isoperable, may be treated as an arc. In other situations where somedegree of light, whether ambient or otherwise, is present,characteristics (e.g., brightness, wavelength, energy, intensity, flux,radiation, and combinations thereof) of the flash relative to nominal orbackground light conditions may be used to identify an arc flash fromother light. Similarly, a light sensor with a threshold set abovenominal, may trigger an output when a flash exceeds the signal to noiseratio and the threshold. Infrared sensors may also be employed, with thepresence of an infrared wavelength often being associated with heat.Given that the circuit may heat while in operation, a rapid change inthe infrared wavelength, above some threshold, may be used todifferentiate between normal circuit operation and a high-heat diefailure.

In the specific case of heat associated with a failure, one or moresensors may be positioned to detect a rapid thermal rise, within thedie(s), module, current carrying die connection(s), or assembly, thatare related to the quick increase in die temperature caused by an arc orfailure event, and such detection may be used, alone or in combinationwith the arc detection sensor, to trigger one or more indirect fuseelements. In the case of sound associated with a failure, one or moresensors may be positioned with the housing to detect a sound associatedwith a failure. In the case of pressure changes associated with afailure, one or more sensors may be positioned within the housing todetect a pressure increase within the housing caused by an arc or otherfailure event. The heat, sound, or pressure sensor may be, but is notlimited to, a thermistor, a thermocouple, a resistance temperaturedetector (RTD), a pyrometer, a Langmuir probe, and sensors capable ofusing the bending or expansion rate of one or more materials, and usingmelting and/or boiling of one or more materials to infer a die failure.Such heat detecting sensors may be directly coupled to one or more ofthe die(s), module, and/or current carrying die connection(s) (e.g.,wire bonds). The sensors may also be indirectly connected to the die(s)through one or more conductor(s) and/or heat pipes.

Other sensors useful alone or in conjunction with others discussedherein include vibration detection sensors, piezoelectric elements, gasor chemical detection sensors, and air particle sensors. For example,multi-axis accelerometers may be positioned proximate or in contact witha power chip or die or on a substrate supporting multiple dies, andsharp accelerations above some threshold indicative of normal vibrationsmay be used to suggest a failure event. A piezoelectric element may becoupled to the die or placed proximate a die, on the substrate and/or inthe housing of a power module and configured to detect a failure anddrive an output to the control or directly to an indirect fuse or fuses.Similarly, in the presence of a switch failure, gas or particles may bereleased. Since a normally operating power module, which may bepartially or completely sealed, does not normally operate in thepresence of gas or particle levels above some threshold, the presence ofthe same may indicate, alone or in conjunction with other indicators,the failure of a switch.

Additionally, the power module may measure the temperature of the diesor other parts of the inverter module via temperature sensing componentsor circuits mounted directly or indirectly to those dies or other parts.The temperature sensors may include, for example, thermistors, resistivetemperature device (RTD) sensors, positive temperature coefficient (PTC)silistor or silicon temperature sensors, or another temperature sensorcircuit. Further, the power module 100 may measure the current of one ormore of the die power paths via current sensors mounted directly orindirectly to the conducting path. The current sensors may include, forexample, a current mirror, a current shunt resistor, an anisotropicmagneto-resistive (AMR) sensor, giant magneto-resistive (GMR) sensor, aflux gate sensor, an open-loop Hall effect sensor, a closed-loop Halleffect sensor, or another current sensor. These temperature and currentsensor or circuit signals may have an electrical connection to thecontrol circuit to provide additional information upon which todetermine whether the indirect fuse should be initiated.

The sensor 108 is coupled with a controller 110 or directly with anindirect fusing element 112, as the case may be, to initiate theindirect fuse 112 in the presence of a failure. For example, if the die102A fails as a short causing an arc, the sensor 108 will detect the arcand provide an input to the controller 110. The controller 110 mayinclude hardware, software, or combinations thereof, to discriminate anarc induced sensor signal from other sensor signals. For example, thesensor 108 may provide an output in some range based on a normally nolight or near no-light inner environment of an enclosed power module.Should the output increase above some threshold indicative of lightwithin the module, a flash, or the like, then the controller 110 mayprovide an output to the indirect element 112 to activate the indirectelement 112. In some cases, such as a photo-voltaic cell discussedbelow, the sensor is directly coupled with the indirect fuse.

The controller 110 may be a hardware logic-based control circuit, suchas a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), for example. In other embodiments, thecontrol logic circuit 110 may include one or more programmableprocessors, such as microprocessors, microcontrollers, and/or digitalsignal processors (DSPs) executing software or firmware instructionsstored in a memory accessible by the processor unit. In another example,some combination of hardware logic circuitry and programmable processormay serve as the control logic.

The controller 110 may further include input and account for externalinformation 114 related to some component related to the module. In thespecific case of a vehicle, aspects of the present disclosure facilitateand provide for state-based control of the trigger threshold of thefuse, which can be based on numerous signals or external inputs thatdefine varying modes, levels, or states from the inverter, the vehicleor other component. This allows for the fusing to vary depending on thevehicle state. The system may or may not have the ability to vary thetrigger thresholds of the indirect fusing element based on modes,levels, or status received from external commands or based on knowledgefrom external states. Some example signals or states that mightcontribute to variable trigger thresholds include converter outputcurrent and voltage, converter input current, converter external shockand vibration inputs, temperature, vehicle speed and torque, and vehicleoperating mode or driving state. Similarly, aspects of the presentdisclosure allow an inverter to be designed with minimal additionalcomplexity, but with a self-controlled ability to remove failedcomponents from the main traction or generating system of the vehiclebefore they can inflict collateral damage. For example, if parallelpower modules are used to provide power to the traction motor, a failedswitch in one module may be detected and the module isolated, leavingother modules to provide vehicle functionality albeit in a reduceoperating state. This capability allows the inverter to continue tooperate in a reduced power output/input state after a partial failure,allowing the user to schedule maintenance at their convenience, andreduces the chance for the vehicle to be completely immobilized.

Such failure robustness is especially important for vehicles withself-driving or autonomous traction capability, since these vehicleswill need to control the vehicle tractive and steering effort withoutinput from a driver. With manually-controlled vehicles, the driver cancontrol vehicle stability via the mechanical linkage of the steeringwheel to the driven vehicle axles even in the event of total loss oftraction power and/or power steering. However, this is not the case whenthe driver is not in control of the vehicle steering, or the driver doesnot have a mechanical linkage to the steering system. Thus, the abilityto withstand a failure and maintain the main control inputs to vehiclestability may be useful for self-driving or autonomous vehicles. Theability to vary the fusing action dependent on state is also a majorimprovement for self-driving or autonomous vehicles that may havedifferent levels of self-driving autonomy that result in differentvehicle operating modes.

Referring still to FIG. 1, the indirect fuse 112 is placed proximate orotherwise sufficiently close to the conductors 104B intended be severedin the presence of a die failure. For example, with a pyrotechnicindirect fuse, the pyrotechnic may be positioned such that detonationbreaks the conductors but does not damage other components. The term“indirect” specifies that the element that causes the open-circuiting ofa current-carrying path is not a component of the current conductoritself or in the current carrying path, like a conventional circuitbreaker or fuse, but rather is a locally-placed but physically separateelement that is not in the current path of the conductor. The currentpath is opened by severing the conductor as opposed to mechanicallyopening the current path with a mechanical element like a circuitbreaker or opening the current path be igniting the fuse in the path.The conductor may be of various possible types including a bond wire, abond ribbon, a trace or other such conductor printed on an insulatingmaterial, and the like. In the case of a power module, the indirectfusing element is positioned in the package so that the discharge of theelement (e.g. pyrotechnic explosion) will electrically isolate thesemiconductor switch from the terminals of the device. In the case of adie failing as a short circuit, the conductors are opened to avoid theunintended connection between the AC rail and the DC rail in the case ofan inverter. The indirect fusing (pyrotechnic) element can be selectedsuch that the blast is enough to electrically disconnect the die(s) fromthe circuit via disconnection of one or more of the main conductionpath(s) of the dies, but not enough to rupture the module or causecollateral damage in the system.

The pyrotechnic fuse may be, but is not limited to, a pyrotechnic fuseblasting cap, a solid pack electric blasting cap, a match or fuseheadelectric blasting cap, an exploding bridgewire detonator or blastingcap, a slapper detonator or blasting cap, or a laser-initiated blastingcap. The pyrotechnic fuse can be assisted by one or more secondaryexplosives and/or exothermic components. The pyrotechnic fuse can openthe circuit by either blast and/or heating reaction, by mechanicallydisconnecting, thermal melting, vaporizing, or chemically corroding theconductors.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a three phase inverter power module circuit200 that includes a number of switch positions 102 for taking DC inputvoltages as inputs and producing at least one AC voltage output.However, many other types of inverters with different numbers andconfigurations of switch positions may employ various aspects of theparticular embodiments described herein. For example, other types ofvoltage-source converters other than inverters, as mentioned above, mayalso employ various numbers and configurations of switch positions.

More particularly, FIG. 2 is an example three-phase inverter 200including multiple switch positions 102 in a three-phase or “six-pack”configuration. The inverter 200 receives a first DC input voltage DC+and a second DC input voltage DC−. A switch control circuit (notillustrated in FIG. 2) may operate (e.g., open and close) the switchpositions 102 according to a particular timing regime to generate athree-phase AC voltage output, with a first AC connection AC PHASE Ucarrying a first phase, a second AC connection AC PHASE V carrying asecond phase, and a third AC connection AC PHASE W carrying a thirdphase. The three-phase inverter 100B may incorporate filtering and/orother conditioning circuitry to form three AC phases that are useful fordriving one or more electrical loads.

The switches are connected between the DC rails (DC+ and DC−) with eachswitch position 102 connected either to the positive DC bus or thenegative DC bus. In the case of a power module, a switch is connectedwith a bus using a terminal and the bus may be referred to as a DC busbar. Similarly, the switches are connected with an AC bus bar at aterminal. The switch dies may be connected to a terminal using wirebonds. So, for example, the switches may be wire bonded to the positiveor negative DC bus.

In the implementation illustrated in FIG. 2, a pyrotechnic indirectfusing element 112 is placed proximate the conductor connecting eachswitch position 102 to the respective DC bus. As discussed with respectto FIG. 1, one or more sensors 108 positioned within the power module,may detect a flash from an arc, sound, pressure and/or heat associatedwith an arc to trigger one or more of the indirect fuses 112 to isolatethe failed switch.

FIG. 3 is a second example three-phase inverter like shown in FIG. 2.However, in FIG. 2, a controller 110 may provide signals to more thanone indirect fuse 112 to activate the fuses. In FIG. 3, each fuse 112has a separate control 110. Other similar alternatives are possibledepending on the implementation.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate examples of a power module 400 having acollection of dies 402 to provide an inverter. As shown, the dies 402are interconnected with wire bonds 404. The switch dies 402 areconnected with DC terminal 406 and AC terminals 408 also at wire bonds404. The terminals may be connected with respective DC and AC bus bars(not shown). The power module 400 further includes a sensor 410 coupledwith a controller 412. FIG. 4A illustrates a failure in die 402A causingan arc. FIG. 4B illustrates the result of an indirect fuse 414 (see FIG.4A) opening the conductive path to isolate the shorted die, and themodule from the DC bus by disconnecting the bond wires connected to DCterminals 406. The indirect fuse 414 is in the form of a pyrotechnicdevice positioned under the bond wires 404 connecting the circuit to theDC bus terminals 406. In some possible implementations, the power module400 illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B may be coupled in parallel to provideparallel switches at each switch position. In such an embodiment, theother power modules may maintain operation when the power module 400 isisolated from the DC bus.

FIG. 5 is an example of a power module 500 implementing any of a varietyof possible power circuits including an inverter. The power module 500includes semiconductor switch dies 502 mounted on a substrate. As withother diagrams, only two die are shown but other die may be present. Thedies are wire bonded 504 to each other, and may further be wire bondedto other devices including a terminal. To sense a failure, aphotovoltaic cell (or cells) 508 are positioned within the modulehousing and may be positioned proximate the die. Photovoltaic cells mayfurther be placed proximate each die, generally within the module and ina position to receive sufficient light from an arc event. Stateddifferently, one or more photo-voltaic cells may be connected in seriesand/or parallel combinations to create a voltage and/or current sourcewhen a light source is present. The cells are mounted on a printedcircuit board or otherwise operatively arranged within the module. Themodule, which may be sealed, does not allow in outside light. Hence, thesolar cells only become active and produce voltage when a light sourcetaking the form of an arc caused by semiconductor and/or semiconductorinterconnection failure is present. In this embodiment, the output ofthe cell (or cells) may directly drive an indirect fuse element 512.Moreover, the cell output may provide sufficient energy to thepyrotechnic fuse 512 for initiation of the same. In any embodiment, itis also possible that a controller will provide sufficient energy toinitiate the indirect fuse element 512. Accordingly, the cells mayprovide an output to a controller (not shown in FIG. 5) to initiate theindirect fuse 512, alone or in conjunction with other inputs fromvehicle systems and/or other sensors.

The solar cell may include amorphous silicon solar cell, biohybrid solarcell, cadmium telluride photovoltaic cell, copper indium galliumselenide solar cells, crystalline silicon solar cell, dye-sensitizedsolar cell, gallium arsenide germanium solar cell, micromorph solarcell, monocrystalline solar cell, multi-junction solar cell, nanocrystalsolar cell, organic solar cell, perovskite solar cell, plasmonic solarcells, organic solar cell, polycrystalline solar cell, polymer solarcell, quantum dot solar cell, thin-film solar cell, or other solar cell,or a combination of any of the aforementioned types. Such cells may beintegrated in the same substrate as the transistors.

FIG. 6 illustrates a discrete power transistor package 600 with anintegrated sensor 608, control 610 and indirect fuse element 612. Thedrain (D), source (S) and gate (G) pins are wire bonded 604 tocorresponding regions of the transistor. The indirect fuse 612 ismounted on a substrate between the die 602 and the pins such that it isadjacent to the wire bonds 604 interconnecting the die 602 to the pins.The sensor 608 is mounted on the substrate, as well, and positioned todetect a failure of the die 602. Upon such detection, the sensor 608provides a signal to the controller 610, also mounted on the substrateor otherwise provided in the package, which initiates the indirect fuse612, which initiation may be causing detonation of a pyrotechnicelement. The controller 610, like other control functionality discussedherein, may include various operations to discriminate between an actualfailure event (like an arc) and false events, as well as take intoaccount state information and account for multiple sensor inputs.

In some situations one or more switches may be connected in parallel.For example, at each switch position of an inverter, more than oneswitch may be connected in parallel. In such cases, dies may also bemounted in parallel on a substrate. In such situations, the indirectfusing element may be positioned to sever the drain connections, thegate and source connections, the gate and drain connections, or thegate, drain and source connections. Hence, it may not be required tosever all connections of the switch.

The power module may also include a current sensor card with processingcapability to identify high frequency signatures in the output currentthat would be characteristics of an arc. In the case that an arc ismeasured, the control circuitry will engage the pyrotechnic fuse, andopen the connections to the module. Such a current sensor may be usedsolely to identify a failure or may be used in conjunction with otherdetection methods discussed herein to verify or confirm a failure, whichmay assist in reducing false positives or trips. The current sensor canbe replaced with a voltage sensor for the same effect.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an example method 700 of detecting a failureand isolating a failed component. To begin, a sensor generates an outputindicative of a failed switch die (operation 702). For example, anoptical sensor may produce a signal indicative of a frequency spectrumof light associated with an arc. In another example, a pressure sensormay produce a signal indicative of a pressure change associated with anarc. The signal or signals as the case may be are provided to acontroller.

The controller or other device then may determine whether the signal isindicative of a failure (operation 704). For example, the controller mayinclude functionality to compare the sensor signal to a threshold. Thecontroller may also include functionality to compare more than one typeof sensor signal to different thresholds. The controller may determinethat a failure has occurred if one threshold is met, both thresholds aremet or other combinations. The controller may also be configured toaccount for other inputs. For example, the controller may receivevehicle state information (operation 706). If the vehicle or the moduleis not operating, for example, and an event is sensed indicative of afailure but no such event is possible as the inverter is not operating,the controller may determine that the signal is false and not initiatethe indirect fuse.

When a switch fails, the system initiates an indirect fuse element(operation 708). The indirect fuse element isolates the switch orotherwise disconnects the switch. The indirect fuse element may bepositioned anywhere and in relation to any conductor that can achievethe desired isolation or disconnection effect. For example, a singlefuse may be positioned to sever the connection of an inverter to the ACBus or the DC bus. In such an example, severing the connection willisolate the failed switch as well as the other switches. It is alsopossible to arrange indirect fuses adjacent individual elements intendedto be isolated or disconnected. In the case of an inverter circuit, afailed switch die may cause the entire circuit to become inoperative andthus disconnecting the entire circuit achieves the same effect asisolating a discrete switch.

While FIG. 7 depicts the operations of the method 700 as being performedin a single particular order, the operations may be performedsimultaneously or concurrently, as well as continuously and/orrepetitively over some period of time. Similarly, more or lessoperations may be involved depending on any given implementation.

Referring to FIG. 8, a detailed description of an example computingsystem 800 having one or more computing units that may implement varioussystems and methods discussed herein is provided. The computing system800 may be part of a power module, may be a part of a traction motor,and may be part of an overall vehicle system. The computing system 800may process various signals discussed herein and/or may provide varioussignals discussed herein. For example, vehicle state information may beprovided by such a computing system 800 to a controller. The computingsystem 800 may also be applicable to, for example, the controllerdiscussed with respect to FIGS. 1-3 and others, and may be used toimplement the method of FIG. 7. It will be appreciated that specificimplementations of these devices may be of differing possible specificcomputing architectures, not all of which are specifically discussedherein but will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art.

The computer system 800 may be a computing system that is capable ofexecuting a computer program product to execute a computer process. Dataand program files may be input to the computer system 800, which readsthe files and executes the programs therein. Some of the elements of thecomputer system 800 are shown in FIG. 8, including one or more hardwareprocessors 802, one or more data storage devices 804, one or more memorydevices 806, and/or one or more ports 808-812. Additionally, otherelements that will be recognized by those skilled in the art may beincluded in the computing system 800 but are not explicitly depicted inFIG. 8 or discussed further herein. Various elements of the computersystem 800 may communicate with one another by way of one or morecommunication buses, point-to-point communication paths, or othercommunication means not explicitly depicted in FIG. 8.

The processor 802 may include, for example, a central processing unit(CPU), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor(DSP), and/or one or more internal levels of cache. There may be one ormore processors 802, such that the processor 802 comprises a singlecentral-processing unit, or a plurality of processing units capable ofexecuting instructions and performing operations in parallel with eachother, commonly referred to as a parallel processing environment.

The computer system 800 may be a conventional computer, a distributedcomputer, or any other type of computer, such as one or more externalcomputers made available via a cloud computing architecture. Thepresently described technology is optionally implemented in softwarestored on the data stored device(s) 804, stored on the memory device(s)806, and/or communicated via one or more of the ports 808-812, therebytransforming the computer system 800 in FIG. 8 to a special purposemachine for implementing the operations described herein. Examples ofthe computer system 800 include personal computers, terminals,workstations, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, personal computers,multimedia consoles, gaming consoles, set top boxes, embedded computingand processing systems, and the like.

The one or more data storage devices 804 may include any non-volatiledata storage device capable of storing data generated or employed withinthe computing system 800, such as computer executable instructions forperforming a computer process, which may include instructions of bothapplication programs and an operating system (OS) that manages thevarious components of the computing system 800. The data storage devices804 may include, without limitation, magnetic disk drives, optical diskdrives, solid state drives (SSDs), flash drives, and the like. The datastorage devices 804 may include removable data storage media,non-removable data storage media, and/or external storage devices madeavailable via a wired or wireless network architecture with suchcomputer program products, including one or more database managementproducts, web server products, application server products, and/or otheradditional software components. Examples of removable data storage mediainclude Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM), Digital Versatile DiscRead-Only Memory (DVD-ROM), magneto-optical disks, flash drives, and thelike. Examples of non-removable data storage media include internalmagnetic hard disks, SSDs, and the like. The one or more memory devices806 may include volatile memory (e.g., dynamic random access memory(DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), etc.) and/or non-volatilememory (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, etc.).

Computer program products containing mechanisms to effectuate thesystems and methods in accordance with the presently describedtechnology may reside in the data storage devices 804 and/or the memorydevices 806, which may be referred to as machine-readable media. It willbe appreciated that machine-readable media may include any tangiblenon-transitory medium that is capable of storing or encodinginstructions to perform any one or more of the operations of the presentdisclosure for execution by a machine or that is capable of storing orencoding data structures and/or modules utilized by or associated withsuch instructions. Machine-readable media may include a single medium ormultiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/orassociated caches and servers) that store the one or more executableinstructions or data structures.

In some implementations, the computer system 800 includes one or moreports, such as an input/output (I/O) port 808, a communication port 810,and a sub-systems port 812, for communicating with other computing,network, or vehicle devices. It will be appreciated that the ports808-812 may be combined or separate and that more or fewer ports may beincluded in the computer system 800.

The I/O port 808 may be connected to an I/O device, or other device, bywhich information is input to or output from the computing system 800.Such I/O devices may include, without limitation, one or more inputdevices, output devices, and/or environment transducer devices.

In one implementation, the input devices convert a human-generatedsignal, such as, human voice, physical movement, physical touch orpressure, and/or the like, into electrical signals as input data intothe computing system 800 via the I/O port 808. Similarly, the outputdevices may convert electrical signals received from computing system800 via the I/O port 808 into signals that may be sensed as output by ahuman, such as sound, light, and/or touch. The input device may be analphanumeric input device, including alphanumeric and other keys forcommunicating information and/or command selections to the processor 802via the I/O port 808. The input device may be another type of user inputdevice including, but not limited to: direction and selection controldevices, such as a mouse, a trackball, cursor direction keys, ajoystick, and/or a wheel; one or more sensors, such as a camera, amicrophone, a positional sensor, an orientation sensor, a gravitationalsensor, an inertial sensor, and/or an accelerometer; and/or atouch-sensitive display screen (“touchscreen”). The output devices mayinclude, without limitation, a display, a touchscreen, a speaker, atactile and/or haptic output device, and/or the like. In someimplementations, the input device and the output device may be the samedevice, for example, in the case of a touchscreen.

The environment transducer devices convert one form of energy or signalinto another for input into or output from the computing system 800 viathe I/O port 808. For example, an electrical signal generated within thecomputing system 800 may be converted to another type of signal, and/orvice-versa. In one implementation, the environment transducer devicessense characteristics or aspects of an environment local to or remotefrom the computing device 800, such as, light, sound, temperature,pressure, magnetic field, electric field, chemical properties, physicalmovement, orientation, acceleration, gravity, and/or the like. Further,the environment transducer devices may generate signals to impose someeffect on the environment either local to or remote from the examplecomputing device 800, such as, physical movement of some object (e.g., amechanical actuator), heating or cooling of a substance, adding achemical substance, and/or the like.

In one implementation, a communication port 810 is connected to anetwork by way of which the computer system 800 may receive network datauseful in executing the methods and systems set out herein as well astransmitting information and network configuration changes determinedthereby. Stated differently, the communication port 810 connects thecomputer system 800 to one or more communication interface devicesconfigured to transmit and/or receive information between the computingsystem 800 and other devices by way of one or more wired or wirelesscommunication networks or connections. Examples of such networks orconnections include, without limitation, Universal Serial Bus (USB),Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, Near Field Communication (NFC), Long-TermEvolution (LTE), and so on. One or more such communication interfacedevices may be utilized via the communication port 810 to communicatewith one or more other machines, either directly over a point-to-pointcommunication path, over a wide area network (WAN) (e.g., the Internet),over a local area network (LAN), over a cellular (e.g., third generation(3G) or fourth generation (4G)) network, or over another communicationmeans. Further, the communication port 810 may communicate with anantenna for electromagnetic signal transmission and/or reception. Insome examples, an antenna may be employed to receive Global PositioningSystem (GPS) data to facilitate determination of a location of amachine, vehicle, or another device.

The computer system 800 may include a sub-systems port 812 forcommunicating with one or more systems related to a vehicle to controlan operation of the vehicle and/or exchange information between thecomputer system 800 and one or more sub-systems of the vehicle. Examplesof such sub-systems of a vehicle, include, without limitation, imagingsystems, radar, lidar, motor controllers and systems, battery control,fuel cell or other energy storage systems or controls in the case ofsuch vehicles with hybrid or electric motor systems, autonomous orsemi-autonomous processors and controllers, steering systems, brakesystems, light systems, navigation systems, environment controls,entertainment systems, and the like.

In an example implementation, inverter and/or motor information andsoftware and other modules and services may be embodied by instructionsstored on the data storage devices 804 and/or the memory devices 806 andexecuted by the processor 802. The computer system 800 may be integratedwith or otherwise form part of a vehicle. In some instances, thecomputer system 800 is a portable device that may be in communicationand working in conjunction with various systems or sub-systems of avehicle.

The system set forth in FIG. 8 is but one possible example of a computersystem that may employ or be configured in accordance with aspects ofthe present disclosure. It will be appreciated that other non-transitorytangible computer-readable storage media storing computer-executableinstructions for implementing the presently disclosed technology on acomputing system may be utilized.

In the present disclosure, the methods disclosed may be implemented assets of instructions or software readable by a device. Further, it isunderstood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methodsdisclosed are instances of example approaches. Based upon designpreferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy ofsteps in the method can be rearranged while remaining within thedisclosed subject matter. The accompanying method claims presentelements of the various steps in a sample order, and are not necessarilymeant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

The described disclosure may be provided as a computer program product,or software, that may include a non-transitory machine-readable mediumhaving stored thereon instructions, which may be used to program acomputer system (or other electronic devices) to perform a processaccording to the present disclosure. A machine-readable medium includesany mechanism for storing information in a form (e.g., software,processing application) readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). Themachine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, magneticstorage medium, optical storage medium; magneto-optical storage medium,read only memory (ROM); erasable programmable memory (e.g., EPROM andEEPROM); flash memory; or other types of medium suitable for storingelectronic instructions.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference tovarious implementations, it will be understood that theseimplementations are illustrative and that the scope of the disclosure isnot so limited. Many variations, modifications, additions, andimprovements are possible. More generally, implementations in accordancewith the present disclosure have been described in the context ofparticular implementations. Functionality may be separated or combinedin blocks differently in various embodiments of the disclosure ordescribed with different terminology. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements may fall within the scope ofthe disclosure as defined in the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a housing including asemiconductor die and a conductor electrically coupled with thesemiconductor die; a sensor positioned within the housing; an indirectfuse element positioned proximate the conductor; wherein the sensor isconfigured to detect an indication of a failure of the semiconductordie; wherein the indirect fuse element is configured to sever theconductor responsive to a signal, based on the detected indication,indicative of a failure of the semiconductor die; a controlleroperatively coupled with the sensor and the indirect fuse element,wherein the controller is configured to: receive the detected indicationfrom the sensor; determine whether the detected indication representsthe failure of the semiconductor die; and in accordance with thedetermination that the detected indication represents a failure of thesemiconductor die, send the signal to the indirect fuse element.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the conductor is a bond wire, a bondribbon or a conductor printed on an insulating material.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a second sensor positionedwithin the housing, the second sensor is configured to detect a secondindication of a failure of the semiconductor die, the second indicationdifferent from the indication; and the controller operably coupled withthe sensor and the second sensor, the controller further coupled withthe indirect fuse element; wherein the controller is configured to:receive the detected indication from the sensor and the detected secondindication from the second sensor; determine whether the detectedindication represents the failure of the semiconductor die; determinewhether the detected second indication represents the failure of thesemiconductor die; and in accordance with the determination that thedetected indication represents the failure of the semiconductor die andthe determination that the second detected indication represents thefailure of the semiconductor die, send the signal to the indirect fuseelement.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sensor is a solar cell,the solar cell positioned in relation to the semiconductor die to detectan arc flash from the semiconductor die indicative of the failure of thesemiconductor die, the solar cell providing the signal and power toengage the indirect fusing element.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 whereinthe sensor is at least one of an optical sensor, a pressure sensor, anda temperature sensor.
 6. A method of mitigating a semiconductor diefailure in a power module comprising: during operation of a powercircuit having a semiconductor component, receiving a sensor signalindicative of a failure of a semiconductor component; based on thesensor signal, initiating a pyrotechnic charge to sever a circuit pathto interrupt a current flow through the failed semiconductor component;and wherein the power circuit is an inverter circuit, the semiconductorcomponent is a die for a switch position of the inverter circuit, andthe sensor signal is indicative of an arc generated from the failure ofthe semiconductor component.
 7. The method of claim 6 furthercomprising: receiving a second sensor signal, different from the sensorsignal, the second sensor signal indicative of the failure of thesemiconductor component; and based on the sensor signal and the secondsensor signal, initiating the pyrotechnic charge to open the circuitpath to isolate the failed semiconductor component.
 8. The method ofclaim 6 further comprising: receiving a signal indicative of a state ofa component related to the power circuit; and based on the sensor signaland the signal indicative of the state of the component, initiating thepyrotechnic charge to sever the circuit path to interrupt a current flowthrough the failed semiconductor component.
 9. The method of claim 8wherein the semiconductor component is part of an inverter providingpower to a motor, the method further comprising: based on the sensorsignal and the signal indicative of the component, initiating thepyrotechnic charge to open the circuit path to isolate the failedsemiconductor component while maintaining operation of the inverter toprovide power to the motor.
 10. An apparatus comprising: an inverter inan enclosed housing, the inverter comprising a plurality of switch diepositions arranged as an inverter, the switch die positionsinterconnected between an AC bus and a DC bus, the AC bus providingpower to an electric component, the inverter further including apyrotechnic element positioned proximate a conductor and not in acurrent path of the conductor, the conductor coupling the inverter to atleast one of the AC bus or the DC bus, the inverter further including asensor positioned within the enclosed housing, the sensor producing anoutput in the presence of an arc flash from one of the switch diepositions, the output triggering the pyrotechnic element to sever theconductor.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the conductor is abond wire, a bond ribbon or a conductor printed on an insulatingmaterial.
 12. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising a controlleroperatively coupled with the sensor and the indirect fuse element, thecontroller configured to: receive the output produced in the presence ofthe arc flash; generate, when it is determined that the arc fleshrepresents a failure of one of the die positions, an output to thepyrotechnic element to sever the conductor.
 13. The apparatus of claim12, wherein the controller receives a signal indicative of a state of acomponent operatively related to the inverter, the controller toinitiate the pyrotechnic element based on the output produced in thepresence of the arc flash and the signal indicative of the state of thecomponent.
 14. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising: a secondsensor positioned within the enclosed housing, the second sensor toprovide a second output in the presence of the arc flash from one of theswitch die positions, the second output different from the output fromthe sensor; and a controller operably coupled with the sensor and thesecond sensor, the controller further coupled with the pyrotechnicelement, the controller configured to: receive the output and the secondoutput; and initiate, when it is determined that the arc flash representa failure of the one of the die positions and the second output confirmsthe determination, the pyrotechnic element to sever the conductor. 15.The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the sensor is a solar cell, the solarcell positioned within the enclosed housing to detect the arc flash, thesolar cell providing the output.
 16. The apparatus of claim 10 whereinthe sensor is at least one of an optical sensor, a pressure sensor, or atemperature sensor.
 17. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising asecond inverter comprising a plurality of second switch die positions inparallel with the plurality of switch die positions of the inverter, thesecond switch die positions interconnected between the AC bus and the DCbus, the second inverter further including a second pyrotechnic elementpositioned proximate a second conductor coupled with the AC bus or theDC bus, the second inverter further including a second sensor to producea second output in the presence of a second arc flash from one of thesecond switch die positions; and wherein when the sensor produces theoutput in the presence of an arc flash from one of the switch diepositions, the output triggering the pyrotechnic element to open theconductor, the second inverter maintains operation while the inverter nolonger provides power to the AC bus.
 18. The apparatus of claim 10wherein the sensor is a solar cell, the solar cell positioned to detectan arc flash from a semiconductor die of one of the plurality of switchdie positions, the art flash indicative of the failure of thesemiconductor die, the solar cell providing the signal and power totrigger the pyrotechnic element to sever the conductor.